Spout seal



P 1965 A. KRAUTKRAMER 3,204,827

SPOUT SEAL Filed April 1. 1963 INVENIOR $7M Kan/maze W ATTORNEY 5 UnitedStates Patent 3,204,827 SPQUT SEAL Adam Krautkriimer, Drususwall 72,Mainz, Germany Filed Apr. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 269,281 Claims priority,application Germany, Mar. 30, 1962,

1 Claim. oi. 222-143 The invention represents a spout seal made of aplastic material, especially suitable for a container of the gas cannature for example.

Various spout caps and seals for containers of all kinds and for tubesare known which consist of a cap affixed to the container having acut-ofi or open seal to provide a secure seal-oft before the firstintake. It is furthermore common to build a lock immediately next to theseal; the lock can be put on after opening the container for the firstuse.

Spout seals of this kind have proved to be very practicable. Later itwas found that the lock caps or the spout connected with them extend toofar above the housing of the container for practical stacking ofcontainer. Suggestions then were made to make spout seals of a designwhich would permit, by means of a telescopic tube, an infolding of thespout into the interior of the container, so that the tip of the spoutwould not extend beyond the margin of the container, which would thusenable a multiple storage.

It has not been found that the two characteristics of both known spoutsmay be combined so as to obtain a seal which would retain the advantagesof a seal afiixed to the container and yet permit stacking up of cans.An object of this invention is therefore the provision of a spout sealmade of plastic and having a spout tube with a cut-off or open-sealprojection at its outer end, and an adjacently connected reclosingmechanism which closes the seal after the first use. According to thepresent invention, the spout tube is built in such a way that it may beextendable.

It is preferable to connect the re-closing mechanism with the seal, sothat they are made of one piece.

It is also of advantage to add a ring With a handle to the spout withthe hollow advance, which serves as a device to pull out the spout.According to the invention it is also feasible to aflix the handle tothe cut-ofl portion of the hollow advance. This is especiallysignificant, since after the first use the spout remains in an extendedposition and the handle is not used; it may be discarded with thecut-01f of the upper portion.

The illustrations present schematic drawings of several examples of thespout seal according to the invention.

FIGURE 1 is a sectional side view of a spout seal in a closed position;

FIGURE 2 shows the spout seal as per FIGURE 1, but in an open orextended position, and

FIGURE 3 shows a special form of the spout seal in side view, partiallyin section.

As FIGURES 1 and 2 show, foot or base 2 of the spout seal is aflixed inthe container opening 1 of a can. The spout seal furthermore consists ofa tube-like hollow extension 3 Whose lower part 3a is flexible, and asshown in FIGURE 1, enables the folding-in of the tube-like part in thecontainer opening, so that when the reclosing mechanism 4 is closed andseated in the rim receptacle 3b around the upper end of tube 3, thespout seal does not extend above the upper edge of rim 1a of thecontainer. In this way the stacking up of two or more containers ispracticable. The re-closing mechanism, 4 is affixed to the foot 2 of thespout seal by means of a flexible connector 5. Until its first use, thecontents of the container are sealed off by means of a uniform cut-ofior open seal 30 connected with the spout tube. This seal is removed, asby cutting, before the first use. Thereafter, the re-closing mechanism 4serves as a seal until further use.

It is considered practicable to attach a handle 6 to the tube-like partto simplify the extension of the tube-like part. As shown in FIGURES 1and 2, the handle may be attached below the seal 30 and pivotallyattached to tube 3 as at rim 3/). FIGURE 3 shows another example. Inthis case a ring-like handle 6 is aflixed to the upper portion of anextended seal 3c, which may be cut off along line 7 before first use.

Since the cans do not have to be stacked after their first use, thehandle, which after the first use becomes superfluous, is cut 0E alongwith the upper part of the seal 3c.

What is claimed is:

A plastic spout seal for stackable containers of the type which have anouter upstanding rim and spaced therefrom an inner upstanding rim whichis of height substantantially less than the said outer ring, said innerrim forming a container opening, said spout seal comprising:

a base ring secured to said inner rim,

a spout in the form of a hollow tube flexibly connected at one end tosaid ring for insertion into and withdrawal from said opening throughsaid ring,

the other end of said spout having an openable seal,

a bail handle pivotally connected to said spout tube below said openableseal for extending the spout,

means forming an annular channel surrounding said spout tube adjacentsaid other end with the channel opening upward at a point below the saidopenable seal,

a cap having an annular depending member for insertion into said channelboth before and after said seal is cut open,

and a flexible member securely connecting said ring and cap for movementof the cap to and from said annular channel without possibility of lossof the cap,

the overall height of the said spout seal, when said hollow tube isfully inserted into said opening and said cap is in said annular channeland said handle is pivoted downwardly, being less than the said heightdifference between said inner and outer rims of the container,notwithstanding whether the said seal has been opened or not.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS RAPHAEL M. LUPO,Primary Examiner.

